scary as shit

Peasants in the middle ages were born into a serfdom lifestyle for generations but the people who are falling (or will fall) into this third world “severe material deprivation” (as you termed it) know what kind of minimal lifestyle they should be able to live if they work hard so imposing or mandating poverty for a large population of people in these “modern” times will not occur easily. Greece seems like a test kitchen for the .1%ers to see how to do it but I think they chose the wrong Country. The greed of the uber wealthy will guarantee failure of the Austerity Age they envision for the near future.

*:

There are indeed vast solidarity networks in neighborhoods and towns across Greece, actually providing food to the hungry, on a permanent basis. Some, as in the suburb of Ellinikon, are municipal:

The re-organisation of society in Ellinikon includes the introduction of food and health provision outside of state lines. Over one hundred doctors have been organised into a volunteer force that treats people free of charge. Most of the people who have found themselves without healthcare over the last few years are the elderly and families with young children. This is sorely needed, as austerity is not a policy. It is social and economic sabotage and has devasted the country causing a humanitarian crisis that is deepening…

Unofficial food markets have also been set up to allow farmers and growers to sell their produce direct to customers. The Mayor’s office negotiates prices on behalf of those in need, allowing both customer and farmer to survive.

The same is true all over Greece. The thing is that these networks do not advertise themselves through publicity stunts. An activist from the working class suburb of Vyronas describes (warning: poor Google translation) the tremendous work and the number of people involved in their actions (as well as the immense scale of the problem), but notes that they don’t film their actions. They respect the people that they are giving aid to, they do not publicize their names, they are mobilizing families and neighbours, but they don’t film it. The left is funding, supporting and working with municipalities and these groups, but does not and cannot use them as political ads…

[...]

But beyond that: It seems that the conservative political system and the oligarchs that run it feel threatened enough by the prospect of the left winning the next elections to actually lend the Nazis their support. Thus the major media (owned almost 100% by the oligarchs) is playing along with them, showing their “human side”; some of the tv channels at a distance, but not in opposition to them, fueling their anti-immigrant agenda every day with inflammatory xenophobic rhetoric and creating a false symmetry between fascist murderers, and strikers and environmental protestors. The problem is the political system which produces monsters as it is collapsing so it can get away with as much as it can. It thus risks plunging the country into a dictatorship or even a civil war. But they do not care…

Well, there’s no lack of observers watching and deploring as GD grows by leaps and bounds. There aren’t many useful ideas of how to stanch the flow.

We don’t have a good grasp of the demographics of this movement. There are plenty of reports of their demands to mine the border with Turkey, expel foreigners, “re”-take Istanbul, rushing into the Bosnian war, etc.

It’s a suicidal course for Greece, of course. Without solutions, though, so what?

“This is the inevitable consequence of a country experiencing a major financial shock . . .”

GD may be a useful tool of the owning class and a multiplier for austerity. But how is its existence inevitable? Do people simply dissolve into Fascist mobs if not “led” by the appropriate, benevolent authority figure? It is this requirement of “leadership” and deference toward it by the citizenry that provides the common ground for Liberals and Conservatives alike.

I think GD’s rise could and should have been predicted. GD was already there long prior to the current crisis, and at some level of distress the society will dissolve anyway.

The environment was tailor made for this disaster.

My #6 is re: #5. Edit & reply functions seem to be inop again.

Sounds to me like the people of Greece have already done more than their fair share of helping people from North Africa. And it sounds like a lot of people in Greece are feeling that way, too.

This is precisely why I don’t want to see things in Greece collapse utterly.

When the shit really and truly hits the fan — or people who have never before felt threatened suddenly are faced with a threat that strikes them to the heart — they react by seeking security and order and looking for someone to protect them. Those are all things people associate, rightly or wrongly, with authoritarian, and especially right-wing authoritarian, power structures.

It’s why Bush went from 50% to 90% approval ratings in the wake of 9/11. It’s also why he was able to get away with invading Iraq and to win the 2002 midterms and the 2004 reelection bid.

And yes, it’s why the Germans in the early 1930s turned to right-wing movements of all sorts, which when they formed a coalition were able to take control of the government.

We were very, very lucky in America in the 1930s. Things weren’t as bad in America as in Europe, plus we had a strong left, a strong union movement, and we didn’t have FOX News (though the Hearst papers and various radio ranters like Father Coughlin also tried to poison people’s minds). Even with all of that, we still nearly go sucked under by a right-wing coup.

America had loans out to Germany, and for awhile things were actually going pretty well in Germany as a result. But when the Great Depression hit here, America called in the loans, and within a couple years Hitler became chancellor.